Timeline

Remington-Gordonsville

August 29, 2017, the Virginia SCC issued its final order in the Remington-Gordonsville transmission case approving the Company’s project along the existing right of way corridor between the Company’s Remington substation in Fauquier County and our Gordonsville substation in Albemarle County.

The final order is consistent with the Hearing Examiner’s report and recommendations, includes, among other things, that there is a need for the project. The project is approved using weathering steel monopoles on 100 foot wide right of way, with the flexibility to implement shorter H-frame structures, where feasible (and with voluntary consent from affected property owners to expand the right of way from 100 feet to 140 feet to accommodate the shorter structure option).

Description

The approved solution will use the existing corridor from the Remington Substation in Fauquier County to the Gordonsville Substation in Albemarle County. This will include wrecking and rebuilding the single circuit 115kV structures within the corridor as a double circuit 230kV/115kV transmission line. To accommodate a second line along this corridor, structure heights will increase and the Company anticipates that the existing right of way may need to be expanded in certain locations.

Older Map Versions

Alternatives - In previous routing iterations, the “Green” and “Purple” routes merged near the Orange/Madison county line and then continued along the same path towards Pratts. We have added a second option towards Pratts that traverses south of the “Green” route and north of Rt. 230. The below alternative options represent complete routes, combining the various components of the “Green” and “Purple” routes (from the 5/12/15 versions) and the new southern path towards Pratts:

Project area constraints map (updated 5/11/15) – Reflects the additional registered areas and pending easement applications that we have been made aware of through our public engagement and additional agency outreach efforts.

Project area constraints map - Our routing study activities include gathering county, state and federal information regarding what parcels are registered with specific designations, such as conservation easements, historic areas, wetlands, etc. Through our ongoing engagement with the community and relevant agencies, we have added additional registered areas to our constraints map since we first published initial routes at the April 2 and April 15 Open Houses. This map reflects that evolution and we are currently reviewing our initial routing options in light of being made aware of this new information. (updated 4/20/15)

Alternatives

In previous routing iterations, the “Green” and “Purple” routes merged near the Orange/Madison county line and then continued along the same path towards Pratts. We have added a second option towards Pratts that traverses south of the “Green” route and north of Rt. 230. The below alternative options represent complete routes, combining the various components of the “Green” and “Purple” routes (from the 5/12/15 versions) and the new southern path towards Pratts:

Project area constraints map (updated 5/11/15) – Reflects the additional registered areas and pending easement applications that we have been made aware of through our public engagement and additional agency outreach efforts.

Project area constraints map - Our routing study activities include gathering county, state and federal information regarding what parcels are registered with specific designations, such as conservation easements, historic areas, wetlands, etc. Through our ongoing engagement with the community and relevant agencies, we have added additional registered areas to our constraints map since we first published initial routes at the April 2 and April 15 Open Houses. This map reflects that evolution and we are currently reviewing our initial routing options in light of being made aware of this new information. (updated 4/20/15)

SCC Approval Process

Status: Approved

The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is responsible for determining the need, route and environmental impact of transmission lines in Virginia.

Dominion Energy submitted its application regarding the Remington-Gordonsville project on Nov. 13, 2015 and on August 29, 2017, the SCC issued its final order approving the project. Documents related to the case are made available to the public on the SCC Docket Search section of the SCC web site, in the "Search Cases" section (enter case number PUE-2015-00117). In addition, interested parties may also comment directly to the SCC by sending an email to sccinfo@scc.virginia.gov.

The following are the key dates and developments related to the SCC review timeline - for the most up-to-date and full listing of motions, rulings and other related documents, please refer to the SCC docket for this case.

Will Dominion Energy require additional right of way?

The existing corridor is primarily 100 feet wide, except in a few areas where the right of way is narrower. The Company anticipates that the existing right of way may need to be expanded in certain locations. In those cases Dominion Energy will approach the individual landowners regarding the expansion of the right of way easement to ensure appropriate and compliant spacing for the rebuilt structures.

How will routes be determined?

Routing a linear facility such as a transmission line involves balancing many considerations. Dominion Energy and its consulting partner, Natural Resource Group (NRG), conduct a rigorous routing process and will establish several criteria to facilitate a comparison among potential routes if identified. The evaluation will include a quantitative analysis based on these routing criteria as well as other factors determined from site visits and discussions with property owners and other key stakeholders.

For approval of a project by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), Dominion Energy must propose an electrical solution that addresses the identified need and a route that reasonably minimizes adverse impacts, along with alternatives. At this time we are still studying the feasibility and impacts of options to serve this area. Ultimately, the SCC determines the final alignment of the route.

I'm an REC member. How does a Dominion Energy transmission project benefit me?

Dominion Energy and FirstEnergy’s transmission facilities serve REC’s distribution system. The project will address contingency issues that could result in violations of federal and company reliability standards. Addressing these identified problems will provide utilities with greater flexibility for managing the transmission grid, as well as maintain the reliable service that Dominion Energy and REC provide their customers.

What will be the environmental impact of construction of the line?

As part of the SCC application, Dominion Energy will complete an evaluation of potential environmental, cultural, and historical impacts of the Remington Pratts Project. Dominion Energy works with many local and state agencies to complete these evaluations and mitigate any impacts. The company also submits annual Erosion and Sedimentation (E&S) Control Specifications and an anticipated list of transmission line projects for the construction and maintenance of transmission lines to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for review and approval. For program year 2015, this project will be included in the annual submittal for approval prior to construction. Our contractors receive copies of the E&S specifications and any additional permit conditions prior to construction and are directed to meet all requirements. The right of way will be rehabilitated when construction is complete.

How will tree clearing be handled for the construction of this new line?

Property owners will be notified before construction clearing begins.

Prior to building a new power line, the right of way must be cleared to allow construction activities and eventual transmission line operation that is safe and reliable. Existing low-growing vegetation may be left in place if it does not interfere with construction activities. Additionally, trees located outside of the right of way which are tall enough to potentially impact the transmission line may also be removed. These trees are commonly referred as danger trees; view a diagram of typical danger tree clearances.

Trees are cut to be no more than 3 inches above ground level. In the right of way, debris that is adjacent to homes will be disposed of by chipping or removal. In other more rural areas, debris may be mulched or chipped as practicable. Clearing will be accomplished by hand in wetland areas and within 100 feet of streams. Care will be taken not to leave debris in streams or wetland areas. Matting will be used for heavy equipment in these areas. Erosion control devices will be used on an ongoing basis during all clearing activities.

Should I be concerned about Electric and Magnetic Fields?

Dominion Energy is sensitive to public concern about possible health effects from exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMF). Dominion Energy includes data on the levels of both electric and magnetic fields produced by proposed facilities in all applications submitted with the SCC. We continually monitor EMF research and speak to our customers and employees regularly to share the latest information available.

The Virginia SCC, which regulates the construction and operation of electric transmission lines of 138kV and above, considers EMF in every application. Hearing Examiner’s remarks from recent proceedings are below.

May 4, 2010 Hayes-Yorktown (Case Number PUE-2009-00049) Report of Deborah V. Ellenberg, Chief Hearing Examiner, states, “I find that EMF has not been identified as a carcinogen for human beings despite extensive study over many years, and there is, therefore, no basis on which to prohibit the Company from authorizing appropriate uses of its right of way.

August 23, 2011 Hollymead (Case Number PUE-2011-00015) Report of Michael D. Thomas, Hearing Examiner, states, “The proposed facilities do not represent a hazard to human health, which finding is consistent with the Virginia Department of Health’s report entitled Monitoring of Ongoing Research on the Health Effects of High Voltage Transmission Lines (Final Report) dated October 31, 2000.

May 1, 2015 Brambleton-Mosby (Case Number PUE-2014-00086) Report of Howard P. Anderson, Hearing Examiner, states, “Expert panels formed by national and international scientific agencies have evaluated the scientific research related to health and power-frequency EMF and provided conclusions that form the basis of guidance to governments and industries. It is the general scientific consensus of the health agencies reviewing this research that at levels associated with the operation of the proposed transmission line, or other common sources of EMF in the environment, the research does not support the conclusion that EMF causes any long-term, adverse health effects.

The Virginia Department of Health in its final report evaluating EMF research concluded:

"Based on the review and analysis of the exhaustive literature review and other research projects completed under the EMF-RAPID program, the Virginia Department of Health is of the opinion that there is no conclusive and convincing evidence that exposure to extremely low frequency EMF emanated from nearby high voltage transmission lines is causally associated with an increased incidence of cancer or other detrimental health effects in humans. Even if it is assumed that there is an increased risk of cancer as implied in some epidemiologic studies, the empirical relative risk appears to be fairly small in magnitude and the observed association appears to be tenuous. The studies published in the literature lack clear demonstration of a cause and effect relationship as well as a definitive dose-response gradient."